In the past, various different schemes were employed to provide a hard sided travel enclosure for golf bags in order to obviate damage by rough handling which may occur when the golf bag and attendant clubs stored in the golf bag were shipped by public transportation.
For instance, in some of the past travel enclosures, a pair of generally matching or mating hard case sections for receiving a golf bag and clubs were hinged together generally at adjacent side portions of the case section. Of course, when the hard core sections were moved into their mating positions, a chamber was formed between the hard core sections for receiving the golf bag and clubs, and at least one reliable securing device was interposed between the adjacent sides of the hard core sections to retain them against displacement when the hard core sections were moved about the hinged side portions thereof into their respective mating positions.
Further, with respect to past travel enclosures, there is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,367,625 issued Apr. 9, 2002 a hard protective sleeve disposed about the open end of a golf bag. The protective sleeve is slidably retained in various adjusted positions and a plurality of clips inserted over the side of the golf bag adjacent the open end thereof in order to adjust the length of the golf bag to accommodate various different lengths of attendant golf clubs received in the golf bag through the open end thereof. In the adjusted positions of the protective sleeve relative to the open end of the golf bag, a top may be received on the protective sleeve to enclose a free or adjusted end thereof which is adjustably spaced beyond the open end of the golf bag.
Still further with respect to past travel enclosures, there is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,497 issued Oct. 9, 1990 a golf bag container having upper and lower generally cylindric hard bodies arranged for telescopic association with said upper and lower bodies and having an open end and a closed end, and the open ends of the upper and lower bodies are configured to provide a union therebetween. When the upper and lower bodies are in enclosing positions, this union permits the open ends of the upper and lower bodies to be joined with only a short section of the upper body being telescopically received through the open end of the lower body. Latch members are associated with the union for releasably retaining the upper and lower bodies in the enclosing positions thereof providing an enclosed protective chamber for the golf bag and attendant golf clubs carried within the enclosed protective chamber. In an inverted configuration of the upper body, the union permits the open end of the upper and lower bodies to be joined with a substantial section of the upper body being telescopically received through the open end of the lower body. Thus, the upper body can at least in part be stored within the lower body and the golf bag can be placed inside the upper body in its inverted configuration.
Another of the past travel enclosures is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,594 issued Mar. 14, 1978 and includes a projecting sleeve bonded to a base sleeve and extending therefrom with a golf bag being received in a chamber formed by the bonded together base and projecting sleeve. An adjustable sleeve is slidably received about the projecting sleeve, and a pair of abutments fixedly secured about the base sleeve and adjustable sleeve are abutted together in order to maintain the upper ends of the projecting sleeve and adjustable sleeve generally in axial alignment with each other. Therefore, with the golf bag received in the chamber formed by the base and projecting sleeves, the attendant golf clubs of the golf bag extend exteriorly through the upper ends of projecting and adjustable sleeves so as to be available to a golfer for play. When the abutment or the base and adjustable sleeves are abutted in engagement, a releasable securing device retains the adjustable sleeve against displacement movement relative to the base sleeve, and the releasable securing device is operable to retain the adjustable sleeve in a position manually displaced on the projecting sleeve from the base sleeve. Upon the manual movement of the adjustable sleeve to its displaced position, the upper or open end of the adjustable sleeve extends generally axially beyond the golf clubs in the golf bag, and a lid is removably secured to the adjustable sleeve adjacent its open end. Therefore, golf bag and the attendant golf clubs are dispersed within the base sleeve, the projecting sleeve and the displaced adjustable sleeve to protect said bag and clubs against damage by rough handling during shipment or public transportation.